Four children laid to rest

Hundreds pay them tribute, recall how they loved life.

Hundreds pay them tribute, recall how they loved life.

November 22, 2006|YONIKA WILLIS Tribune Staff Writer

ELKHART -- Though the words may have been foreign to some, the message was clear -- Jennifer Lopez, 8; Gonzalo Lopez, 6; Daniel Valdez, 4; and 2-year-old Jessica Valdez will truly be missed. Nearly all seats were filled at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church on Tuesday morning where a funeral -- officiated mostly in Spanish by the Rev. Wilson Corzo -- was held for the children whose bodies were found in their home Nov. 14. Their mother, Angelica Alvarez, 27, has been arrested in connection with their deaths. Mourners dabbed their eyes, and sobs could be heard as three closed white caskets were wheeled into the church's sanctuary. Each casket had a cloth draped across it and a metal cross on top. The largest casket contained the bodies of the two youngest children. Those grieving memorialized the lives of the four children Tuesday through prayers and variations of "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art." "I believe that these four children, all four of them, are right now in the direct presence of God," Brian Baughman, pastor of Osceola's Grace Brethren Church, said at the funeral. "The Bible teaches that little ones that cannot fully understand the message of salvation, if they pass away, they go to heaven. I believe this, but I have to say, the oldest one, she was old enough to understand that Jesus died for her purposely and I wanted to know did she have that kind of faith in Jesus." Baughman received his answer after reading a Nov. 6 letter the youngster wrote in her school notebook. "Dear God, I loved it when I received a B minus on my math test." Jennifer didn't like math, Baughman explained. "I thank you for that. I love you a lot," the note went on to say. "I love you and my family." The beautiful 8-year-old loved school and had a smile so big that when she smiled, you smiled, Baughman's wife, Tammy, said at the funeral. "She loved jewelry and was especially proud of the bead bracelets she learned to make two weeks ago," she said. "She loved her family and called herself Daddy's girl." Jennifer's brother Gonzalo, a quiet and shy 6-year-old, was always willing to give a hug, Tammy Baughman said. "He loved superheroes," she said. "Spiderman adorned his backpack. He was always smiling when he came home from school, probably because he had a big appetite." Four-year-old Daniel loved to read books, take pictures, and had a contagious laugh. "Daily, he'd get caught sneaking into the fridge and drinking milk," Tammy Baughman said. "The only problem was he'd get caught guzzling it from the jug." And the youngest, Jessica, was the queen of her Daddy's heart. "She wanted to do things her own way," Tammy Baughman said. "She always wanted to sit on a lap and be held. ... She was always agreeable, saying yes to everything." The children were found in the basement of their home by Fernando Valdez -- the father of the two youngest children and Alvarez's husband. Autopsies showed they died of asphyxiation. Alvarez originally was thought to be dead along with her children, but was taken to an area hospital after showing signs of life. Her condition remains unknown.Tammy Baughman spent time at the children's home, praying and providing spiritual guidance to Alvarez just hours before their deaths. "When I left her Tuesday (Nov. 14), they were fine," Baughman said. "Things were as normal as they could be, nothing was concerning me." The Elkhart County prosecutor's office has until today to file formal charges against Alvarez. After the 80-minute funeral, the family gathered for burial at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Osceola. Tears streamed down the face of the father of the two oldest children -- Gonzalo Lopez -- as he sat with his head in his hands and watched as the caskets holding his children were lowered into the ground. Valdez wailed cries of agony as he walked away from the burial site Tuesday, escorted by two men. "There's a great joy in my heart to have known these four precious children," Tammy Baughman said Tuesday. "I pray you'll always remember how they loved life. They will be missed."